FILE PHOTO: Jake Guse, a crop scout on the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, collects corn samples from a corn field as scouts travel across the midwest trying to gauge the size of the corn and soybean crop that farmers will harvest in the fall, in northwest Indiana, U.S. August 19, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
American farmers cannot survive much longer as Iran war disruptions to fuel and fertilizer supplies devastate already-thin profit margins.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global fertilizer trade flows, has created severe supply chain disruptions.
National Corn Growers Association vice president Lesly Weber McNitt warned of real availability and price implications with global market impact. Fifty-four agriculture groups wrote to President Donald Trump, citing record inflation, trade uncertainty, declining crop prices, and natural disasters compounding the crisis.
Washington state farmer Jason Sheehan stated his operation is "burning through" fuel faster than in previous years despite strategic stockpiling. He warned of limited options to absorb escalating costs while maintaining profitability, and expressed concern about fertilizer availability for fall planting.
Trump's tariff policies have already devastated agriculture through retaliatory tariffs, reducing demand for U.S. crops, particularly soybeans and corn.